Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual

The Form Wizard

By now, you've learned how to create a number of common forms. Access gives you one other way to build a form: using the Form wizard. The Form wizard has an uncanny similarity to the report wizard you used in Chapter 8. It asks you a series of questions and then builds a form to match. However, the questions are fairly rudimentary, and the form it builds is little more than a good starting point for further customization.

Here's how to put the Form wizard through its paces:

1. Choose Create → Forms → More Forms → Form Wizard.

   The first step of the Form wizard appears.

2. From the drop-down list, choose the table you want to use.

   In the Available Fields list, the wizard shows all the fields that are in your table.

   UP TO SPEED: The Access Form Family

   Access forms manage to please just about everyone. If you're in a hurry, then you can create a ready-made form with a basic layout and a dash of formatting. Or, if you're feeling creative, you can pull your fields out of the standard layouts and place them absolutely anywhere. In other words, forms are flexible—timepressed types get the convenience they need, while serious artistes get the creative control they demand.

   Here's a roundup of some of your form choices:

   • A simple form shows one record at a time in a basic stacked layout. To create a simple form, choose Create → Forms → Form.

   • A layout-less form lets you place controls anywhere you want on a form. It's up to you whether you want to show a single record at once, ...